TELEMANN – Les trésors cachés

Continuing its exploration of eclectic German composer Georg Philip Telemann’s immense musical production, the Arion Baroque Orchestra is happy to present “Telemann – Les trésors cachés” (Telemann – The Hidden Treasures), an album of rare concertos and overtures by the Magdeburg master. These lively, witty, and imaginative works for strings and winds in both the French and Italian styles (both of which Telemann mastered) are recorded here for the first time ever on period instruments. Among these rarities is the Overture in e minor “L’Omphale” which features music from Telemann’s now lost opera Omphale, as well ‘borrowing’ a few other movements from another opera of the same name, by André Cardinal Destouches (his French contemporary). A regular guest conductor and soloist with Arion, in concert, on tour and on disc, the renowned Dutch cellist Jaap ter Linden leads the orchestra once again, with fine soloists taken from the ensemble’s ranks.

This CD is very much on a mission to expose the shameful neglect that much of Telemann’s outstanding music has fallen into in modern times – each of the five works in the recital are 100% deserving of a place in any baroque band’s repertoire…. The recorded sound is fantastically bright, and the playing first rate from all quarters. Definitely one of my recommendations from this month’s lists. – BC, Early Music Review, England 2008

JAAP TER LINDEN,
baroque cello
Guest conductor

The cellist and gambist Jaap ter Linden is one of Europe’s most prominent interpreters of baroque music. As one of the first specialists in this field he actively participated in the foundation of many baroque ensembles which now play an important role in our musical life. He was co-founder of the ensemble Musica da Camera and principal cellist of Musica Antiqua Köln, The English Concert and The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. He is now a regular conductor of The Mozart Academy.

Jaap ter Linden has acquired great fame as a performer in solo and chamber music repertroire. As a chamber musician, ter Linden regularly performs with violinists Andrew Manze and John Holoway and cembalists Richard Egarr and Lars Ulrik Mortensen. He recently founded a new Piano Trio together with violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch and pianist Ronald Brautigam.

Jaap ter Linden is also increasingly in demand as a conductor of both specialised and “modern’ orchestras. He was invited as guest director with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Beethoven Akademie, The European Union Baroque Orchestra, Amsterdam Bachsoloists, Amsterdam Nieuw Sinfonietta and San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque.

In recent tours ter Linden has directed Arion Baroque Orchestra, a Mozart programme with the Arnhem Symphony Orchestra and a major tour with his own Mozart Academy. Ter Linden has recorded numerous cd’s with these

Jaap ter Linden is professor at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and at the Hochschule für Alte Musik in Würzburg and he gives courses and master classes throughout Europe.

Arion Baroque Orchestra

Arion is a Montreal-based baroque orchestra performing on period instruments. The ensemble was founded in 1981 by flautist Claire Guimond, violinist Chantal Rémillard, gambist Betsy MacMillan and harpsichordist Hank Knox. Claire Guimond has been Arion’s artistic director ever since its first concerts.

From the outset, Arion’s concerts were unanimously hailed for their clarity and gusto as well as their refined and expressive performances, chosen from a vast array of early music works. A meticulous attention to detail has placed Arion’s artistic achievements amongst those of the greatest current early music ensembles.

The orchestra calls upon world-renowned guest conductors to perform vocal and instrumental works in its high-profile series of concerts in Montreal. They include Barthold Kuijken, Monica Huggett, Jaap ter Linden, Daniel Cuiller and Elizabeth Wallfisch.

A recipient of numerous awards and grants, Arion has toured extensively throughout Canada, Europe, Mexico and the United States. The autumn of 2006 was also the occasion for Arion to tour Japan in its first Asian tour.

Arion’s discography features 25 CDs, distributed internationally - both as a quartet and in a larger setting with the collaboration of such fine artists as sopranos Agnès Mellon and Suzie LeBlanc, mezzo Kimberly Barber, countertenors Matthew White and Daniel Taylor, baritone Max van Egmond.

Arion is a member of early-music.com, a web-site committed to the promotion of some of the world’s finest early music artists.